Density of Oil Palm Plantations in South East Asia
Oil palm thrives best in the zone of evergreen tropical rainforests on both sides of the equator. Since the beginning of the 20th century, it has been cultivated on a large scale and commercially produced in plantations around the world [2]. The total cultivated area of closed-canopy oil palm plantation around the world is estimated at 21 million hectares (Mha), for Southeast Asia at 18.7 Mha and for Indonesia at 12 Mha [3]. Exports from both regions account for more than 85% of the global palm oil production [4] [5].
Task 1: Based on your pre-knowledge, mark where in Indonesia (Southeast Asia) large areas of oil palm plantations are located on the map. You can click on the map to mark the area.
Oil palm plantation can have either of two forms: smallholder or industrial plantations. In Indonesia, oil palm plantations which cultivate less than 25 ha are labeled smallholdings. Industrial plantations can cover thousands of hectares [2]. In this unit, we will focus on industrial plantations which represent approximately 67% of the plantation area in Indonesia [3].
